Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Do you carry with a round in the chamber?

+1

DAO, 4053, round in chamber.

I can not envision a scenario when, or a reason why, I would carry a SD gun with no round in the chamber. I have always assumed that if needed it would be needed RIGHT NOW.

-Z

Uh, yeah!

I can't imagine carrying and not having one in the chamber.
STAY READY

I fail to see why. Both are equally useless in this context

My CCW instructor brought up an interesting point on this topic. . . If you have enough time to deploy the weapon AND rack the slide, then you likely (not definitely) have enough time to remove yourself from the situation without firing a round. If you don't have time to rack the slide, well. . .

My job keeps me from carrying on a daily basis, but when I am carrying there is a round in the chamber in my CZ. In the H&R, the hammer sits on an empty chamber next to a round of snake-shot. Then 7 CCI Stingers.

I don�t always carry a handgun, but when I do, I prefer a round in the chamber.

Stay prepared, my friends.

As I understand it, there are some jews who would disagree with that.



I don't doubt that you fail to see why. The answer is because one is a gun that can be loaded and fired and the other is safety scissors.



How long does it take you to rack a slide?

It depends. In a situation with humans, loaded and ready.

In the bush, I like revolvers with the hammer on an empty hole in the cylinder. A fall and percussion on the hammer could mean bleeding to deatha long way from help with 6 rounds.. I know some professional trappers that work alone. One guy carries with 4 rounds- an empty under the hammer and the next one, in case a branch catches the trigger.

I'd never advocate an empty chamber as the best way to carry, or even a good way to carry.

But when folks start equating it to "carrying a paperweight" or "safety scissors" and such, they're not being honest about the realities of the conversation. When you show me a paperweight that is designed to fit the human hand, internally carries 15 rounds of ammunition and is capable of being chambered and fired, I'll agree. Until then, it's nonsense.

All I ask is that people THINK about what they're doing and WHY they're doing it. Buying into "someone told me" isn't thinking. Go to the range, try what works for you WITH A TIMER and draw your own conclusions. That's what I did.

Do whatever you want, but have a reason for it.

Exactly. It's not really loaded without a round in the chamber. Had it not been in that condition, Zimmerman would likely be dead today, or brain damaged. Defense should ask every cop that's on the stand from now on if he keeps one in the chamber, and why.

yes and no

yes=Jframe

no=self loader

Not long But if it is a matter of "imminent threat of death or great bodily harm," I'm working under the assumption that every second counts. . .

The case at hand is the perfect case in point. They were struggling for it and Zimmerman got to it first. His other hand was busy fighting off Martin, and not available for racking the slide.

is this a serious question?

Which makes sense.

But the notion that if you have time to rack a slide you have time to run away doesn't make sense, at all. If I need to assemble a stripped pistol and load a magazine from my pocket, yes-I would have time to just run away.

What Zimmerman was doing involved a very high risk of encounter with an armed opponent. Having a round in the chamber makes much more sense than an empty chamber in that kind of scenario.

On the other hand, there have been so many AD's and otherwise avoidable 'accidental' shooting by LE types that one has to wonder whether or not a loaded chamber presents a greater danger.

For those of use that assiduously avoid situations where a gun might actually need to be used, I contend that the loaded chamber is often the greater danger. Speaking only for myself and considering the ***many hundreds of times*** I've avoided loading or unloading a chamber versus the ***zero*** times I've needed to draw my carry firearm, an empty chamber makes sense more often than not.

In Zimmerman's situation I would have had a loaded chamber.

Chambering a round isn't just an issue of time - it's about the ability and/or opportunity to get it done under tough circumstances.

How you going to execute that one-handed slide manipulation drill (you know, the one you've seen on TV and the internet and practiced maybe 10 times on the range) when your flat on your back and staving off a knife, impact weapon, fist or a gun?

Just curious?

If you do not understand why a gun should be carried in condition one than you are naive or an idiot.

Along the same line of thinking, in the context of a self defense tool, an unloaded gun (Anything but condition one) is about as useful as safety scissors, a pocket knife, or a paperweight; which is to say a bludgeoning or stabbing implement.

This argument bores me, good day sirs.